San Bernardino County has been humiliated as scandals have rocked our community. Though the issues are serious, these embarrassing public actions represent a small minority of county employees. Most come to work each day and work hard to do the job the public expects.
Political turmoil enveloped the Assessor’s Office in 2008. Public confidence and employee morale was at an all time low. The Board of Supervisors unanimously appointed me as Assessor to restore public trust and stability in the Assessor’s Office.
I started my career 35 years ago in the Assessor’s Office. In 1978, I assisted with the implementation of Proposition 13 and fully support how this law protects taxpayers from excessive tax hikes. I have spent a total of 25 years with the Assessor’s Office and 10 years in the Tax Collector’s Office where I was appointed Assistant Tax Collector to restore confidence by implementing new standards and controls after that office was rocked by corruption.
Positions I have held over these three decades of public service include appraiser, commercial appraiser, systems analyst, principal appraiser, chief appraiser, chief of tax collections, assistant tax collector, assistant assessor and assessor. My bachelor’s degree is from Cal State San Bernardino (1974). I later earned an Advanced Appraisal Certificate issued by the California State Board of Equalization.
On June 8, you will elect someone to run the newly created Office of Assessor/Recorder. This is a unique challenge and an opportunity to consolidate services. It is my goal to provide quality service in the most cost effective manner. Saving employees jobs has been a top priority during these past two years of tumultuous budget times. I have worked with the County Administrative office to minimize the layoff effects on our employees. Last year the Assessor’s Office budget was cut by more than 25 percent, but only 14 employees had to be laid off—all of these individuals found other employment in the County, many at the same pay rate. Next fiscal year another 23 positions are slated to be deleted, but through cooperation with the Board of Supervisors and the County Administrative Office, no further cuts are expected next fiscal year. Under my management, we have continued to be proactive in reducing assessed values for more than 200,000 property owners due to decline in market values despite the loss of Assessor’s staff.
I am currently planning for the consolidation of the Assessor and Recorder offices to make sure there is a smooth transition and to utilize the resources of both offices to increase taxpayer services. I am looking forward to working with the employees of the Recorder’s office and developing the same respect filled relationships with them that I have with Assessor staff members.